Zucker (illness) is considered a game-time decision for Saturday's road matchup against the Oilers, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports. Zucker has missed the last two games due to an illness,

Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (illness) practiced on Friday and may be ready to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The veteran has missed a couple of games due to an illness.

McLeod has 10 goals and 14 assists for the Sabres and is on pace to shatter the career highs of 12 goals and 30 points he set last year for

Zucker is an influential voice in the locker room and wants to make Buffalo better despite knowing he could be traded at the deadline.

Zucker’s net-front residence has yielded offense at both 5-on-5 and on a resurgent Buffalo power play. Since Dec. 21, with Zucker a regular on the top unit, the Sabres have gone 9-for-28 (32 percent) with the man advantage, seventh best in the NHL during that span.

Dealing with illness

The Edmonton Oilers host the Buffalo Sabres after Zach Hyman's two-goal game against the Vancouver Canucks in the Oilers' 6-2 win.

Despite their promising young core, the Buffalo Sabres have fallen short of expectations this season, leaving fans disappointed. As they look to the future, some veteran players, including Jason Zucker, may be moved to make room for younger talent.

The Sabres earned a commanding 58-40 lead in 5-on-5 shot attempts and drew seven minor penalties, the first of which saw Jonathan Huberdeau open the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway. Rasmus Dahlin had attempted to break up a clearing attempt, but the puck banked off his stick and toward Huberdeau as he exited the Calgary zone.

With trade speculation swirling about Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens, 20-year-old Jiri Kulich impressed coach Lindy Ruff on the first line.

Jamie Oleksiak scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and Adam Larsson and Jared McCann added scores in the third as the Seattle Kraken beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4.

McLeod will return to the lineup for the Sabres on Saturday, just in time to make his return to Rogers Place and play his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, for the first time. McLeod has missed the past three games with what he described as a “nagging” upper-body injury.